SPEED Act can be important building block in a more comprehensive legislative package
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development Act, (SPEED Act, H.R. 4776), legislation aimed at reforming significant, longstanding hurdles to building energy infrastructure in America. Advanced Energy United, the national business association representing many of the leading solar, wind, storage, demand, and distributed energy companies, welcomes components of the SPEED Act. But United was discouraged by 11th hour changes to the bill and cautions lawmakers that additional work is needed to ensure permitting legislation restores essential stability to the federal process and unlocks energy development across the country.
“Bipartisan, technology-neutral reform of our federal permitting process is critical to unleashing American energy, competing with China, and addressing affordability. We appreciate Chairman Westerman’s good faith efforts to advance impactful reform, but more such work is needed to truly restore stability to federal permitting,” said Harry Godfrey, Managing Director at Advanced Energy United. “Sadly, this week a set of ideologues hijacked this the legislative process in an attempt to pick industry winners and losers instead of creating a fair system.”
“It’s clear what’s needed now is not less bipartisan collaboration towards reform, but more, to pass durable policy that benefits all Americans,” added Godfrey. “As this process moves forward, we urge lawmakers to craft comprehensive legislation that kick-starts long-delayed projects, restores certainty, unlocks much-needed transmission capacity, and more. America’s energy future, and our leadership in AI, cannot be held hostage by politicians that put politics ahead of sound energy policy.”
Advanced Energy United appreciates Chairman Westerman’s leadership and commitment to improving energy permitting and looks forward to working with leaders in both chambers to include essential provisions that create permitting stability and certainty through every step of the federal process, so that this reform can more fully address obstacles to our industry.
As Congress debates federal permitting reforms, the challenge of building more energy infrastructure faster also requires state leadership. Many states lack the kind of standardization and fairness of rules needed to incentivize an increase in investment. Without permitting and citing reforms at the state level, communities will continue to experience rising energy costs, and states will struggle to power their economies and meet their energy goals.